Portable drill press apparatus



Nov. 17, 1970 w. w. MARTINMAAS PORTABLE DRILL PRESS APPARATUS '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 13 1968 WERNER W MA INVENTOR. RT/NMAAS AT TORNEYS Nov. 17, 1970 w. w. MARTINMAAS 3,540,320

PORTABLE DRILL PRESS APPARATUS Filed June 13, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mvsmon. WERNER W MA RTINMAAS A TTOFNE Y5 United States Patent O 3,540,320 PORTABLE DRILL PRESS APPARATUS Werner W. Martinmaas, 835 th Ave. NW., Watertown, S. Dak. 57201 Filed June 13, 1968, Ser. No. 736,621 Int. Cl. B23b 45/14 US. Cl. 77-13 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A plurality of magnetic feet, having fiat surfaces adapted to contact a piece of work, attached to a base so that the surfaces normally lie in a plane but are slightly movable from the plane to compensate for irregularities in a working surface, an elongated standard attached to the base with its longitudinal axis approximately perpendicular to the plane, and a handle threadedly engaged on the standard for longitudinal movements therealong to apply pressure to the clamping means whereby the clamping means and a hand drill mounted therein are urged toward the plane.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention In utilizing hand drills and the like it is often convenient to provide a means for mounting the hand drill on the surface of the work. With a drill press mounted on the work, holes can be quickly and conveniently formed, as well as being accurately spaced relative to each other. To be practical, however, it is necessary that the drill press be quickly and easily mounted on substantially any surface upon which it is desired to operate.

Description of the prior art In the prior art various types of magnets are utilized to affix a drill support rigidly to a piece of work. In all of this prior art the magnet is immovable relative to the drill mounting frame and, in most instances, a single magnet is utilized so that it is extremely difficult to engage the apparatus on an irregular surface. Further, in most instances the devices are extremely complicated and costly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention pertains to portable drill press apparatus for mounting hand drills and the like including a plurality of magnetic feet each having a generally fiat contacting surface and attached to a base means with an elongated standard affixed thereto so that the contacting surfaces lie substantially in a plane generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the standard, said feet being slightly movable from the plane to compensate for irregularities in a work surface, and said apparatus further including sleeve means slidably engaged on said standard with clamping means adjustably attached thereto for receiving a hand drill or the like therein and pressure means for providing relative movement between the sleeve means and the standard to urge said clamping means toward said plane.

-It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved portable drill press apparatus for mounting hand drills and the like.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a portable drill press apparatus utilizing magnetic feet to conveniently attach the apparatus to a work surface.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide portable drill press apparatus which is mountable on irregular work surfaces.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide portable drill press apparatus capable of receiving therein a variety of sizes and shapes of hand drills and the like.

Patented Nov. 17, 1970 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring to the drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the figures:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the portable drill press apparatus attached to a working surface and having a. hand drill mounted therein;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 rotated ninety degrees in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from the top in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view in top plan of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view as seen from the line 4-4 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view as seen from the line 5-5 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view as seen from the line 66 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view as seen from the line 7-7 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view in perspective of a strap utilized to clamp the hand drill into the drill press apparatus;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view in perspective of another embodiment of the apparatus, parts thereof removed; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view, similar to FIG. 7, of the different embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the figures the numeral 10 generally designates a base including an L-shaped member 11 and a generally straight bar 12. One end of the L-shaped member 11 is attached to one end of the bar 12 by means of a bolt 13. A resilient washer 14 is positioned between the end of the L-shaped member 11 and the end of the bar 12 to allow slight twisting movements therebetween. In general the L-shaped member 11 and bar 12 will be formed into a generally U-shape but the bar 12 may be pivoted relative to the L-shaped member 11 (as shown in FIG. 5 if desired for any particular operation. It should be understood that the present embodiment of the base 10 is simply for illustrative purposes and a great variety of configurations might be designed by those skilled in the art, all of which come within the scope of this invention.

The bar 12 has a pair of rod-like standards 20 and 21 fixedly attached to the upper surface thereof so that the longitudinal axes are approximately parallel to each other and perpendicular to the upper surface of the bar 12. The two standards 20 and 21 are further mounted so as to be spaced apart a short distance along the longitudinal dimension of the bar 12. As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the standard 20 is somewhat longer than the standard 21 and is threaded along a substantial portion thereof adjacent the free end. It should be understood that a single standard might be utilized but two standards 20 and 21 are illustrated in the present embodiment to illustrate a more rugged apparatus.

Two magnetic feet 25 and 26 are formed from generally square magnets having a threaded hole at approximately the center of one side and a generally flat working engaging surface 27 and 28, respectively, at the opposite side thereof. The magnetic feet 25 and 26 are attached adjacent the ends of the bar 12 and the L-shaped member 11, respectively, by bolts 29 and 30 extending through holes in the bar 12 and L-shaped member 11 and threadedly engaged in the holes in the magnetic feet 25 and 26, respectively. The magnetic feet 25 and 26 are mounted so that the surfaces 27 and 28 lie normally in a plane but the means attaching the magnetic feet and 26 to the base 10 are characterized by allowing movement of the surfaces 27 and 28 from the plane to allow for irregularities in a working surface, as will be explained presently.

The holes through the L-shaped member 11 and bar 12 having the bolts 29 and 30 engaged therethrough are formed with a diameter somewhat larger than the bolts 29 and 30 to allow some transverse movement thereof. Referring specifically to FIGS. 6 and 7, the magnetic foot 25 has a resilient washer positioned between the upper surface thereof and the lower surface of the bar 12. The resilient washer 35 may extend upwardly into the hole through the bar 12 around the bolt 29, as illustrated, to prevent relative horizontal movement therebetween while allowing a slight amount of rotational movement about a transverse axis thereof. A second resilient washer 36 is positioned on the upper urface of the bar 12 and a metal washer 37 is placed thereover prior to the insertion of the bolt 29 therethrough. Thus, the magnetic foot 25 is free to move slightly out of the plane in which it is normally positioned. In a similar fashion a resilient washer 38 is positioned between the magnetic foot 26 and the L- shaped member 11 and a second resilient washer 39 with a metal washer 40 positioned in overlying relationship thereto is placed in overlying relationship to the upper surface of the L-shaped member 11. Referring to FIG. 6-, a work surface 41 is illustrated, which work surface 41 curves downwardly from the horizontal plane (illustrated in dotted lines) designated 42. It can be seen from FIG. 6 that the magnetic foot 25 has rotated slightly so that the surface 27 thereof does not lie in the plane of the surface 28 of the magnetic foot 26. Thus, through the resilient washers 3536 and 38-39 the magnetic feet 25 and 26 are free to move slightly from their normal positions to compensate for irregularities in a work surface.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10 a second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated wherein like parts are designated with like numerals but said nurmerals have a prime added to indicate a different embodiment. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 the bar 12 is illustrated with an enlarged opening therethrough. The portion of the bar 12' immediately adjacent the opening is deformed to provide a concavity in the lower surface thereof surrounding the opening and a convexity at the upper surface thereof surrounding the opening. A metal washer 45' having a flat lower surface and a convex upper surface is positioned between the magnetic foot 25' and the bar 12 and nests within the concavity surrounding the opening through the bar 12'. A second washer 46 having at least -a concavity in the lower surface thereof is positioned in overlying relationship to the opening through the bar 12' and the bolt 29' is engaged therethrough. Referring to FIG. 10 it can be seen that this arrangement operates in a fashion somewhat similar to a ball joint and allows slight movement of the magnetic foot 25' out of its normal position. The second magnetic foot is attached with similar apparatus in this embodiment. In a similar fashion the end of the L-shaped member 11' and the end of the bar 12' are attached with washer 47' therebetween and washer 48 in overlying relationship thereto all of which are nested together to allow relative twisting movements therebetween. It should be understood that other embodiments might be desginated by those skilled in the art to allow movement of the 'work engaging surfaces of the magnetic feet out of the normal position to compensate for irregularities in a Work surface and all such embodiments come within the scope of this invention.

Referring again to the first embodiment (FIGS. 1 through 8), sleeves 50 and 51 are slidably engaged over the standards 20 and 21, respectively, for free longitudinal movement therealong. An elongated plate 52 is fixedly attached between the sleeves 50 and 51 by some means such as welding or the like. The plate 52 has a plurality of holes 53 positioned between the sleeves 50 and 51 and spaced apart longitudinally therealong. Two generally L-shaped brackets 54 and 55 are each formed with an elongated slot 56 and 57 in one arm thereof. The brackets 54 and 55 are mounted on the plate 52 by engaging bolts 58 and 59 through the slots 56 and 57, respectively, and a desired pair of the holes 53. The brackets '54 and 55 are mounted with one arm extending parallel to the plate 52 and the opposite arm extending outwardly generally perpendicular to the plate 52. The horizontal position of the perpendicular arm of brackets 54 and 55 is adjusted by the position of the bolts 58 and 59 within the slots 56 and 57.

Each of the perpendicular arms of the brackets 54 and 55 has a generally V-shaped bend therein with a tubular padding member 65 and 66, respectively, engaged thereover. Also, each of the brackets 54 and 55 has a mounting hole at either side of the V-shaped bend therein. A pair of flexible straps 67 and 68 are mounted by means of the mounting holes through the brackets 54 and 55 and hold a hand drill generally designated 70 fixedly against the padding members 65 and 66 on the brackets 54 and 55. The flexible straps 67 and '68 are both similar and the strap 67 is illustrated in detail in FIG. 8.

Referring to FIG. 8 the resilient strap 67 is illustrated with a plurality of holes 71 adjacent one end thereof and a single hole 72 adjacent the other end thereof. The end of the strap 67 having the hole 72 adjacent thereto is folded over and riveted so as to form a small loop. A nut 73 is positioned within the loop and a bolt 74 is engaged through one of the openings in the bracket 54, through the hole 72 and thence threadedly engaged in the nut 73. A generally U-shaped member 75 having a pair of spaced apart dowels 76 extending between the ends of the arms and a threaded hole 77 through the bite thereof, is engaged with the opposite end of the strap 67 in the following manner. The end of the strap 67 is threaded between the dowels 76, around the bite of the U-shaped member 75 until one of the holes 71 is coaxial with the hole 77, and back between the dowels 76. A bolt 78 is then engaged through the other mounting hole in the bracket 54, through the coaxial hole 71 and threadedly engaged in the hole 77. The free end of the strap 71 may be positioned between the main body of the strap 67 and the hand drill 70 so as to hold it out of the way. To tighten the strap 67 around the hand drill 70 the bolts 74 and 78 are simply threaded further into the nut 73 and the member 75, respectively. For various sizes of hand drills different holes 71 may be utilized. Strap 68 is mounted to bracket 55 in a similar manner to strap 67 and parts mounting same carry similar numerals.

A nut 80 is threadedly engaged on the upper end of the standard 20 and a handle 81 is fixedly attached to the nut 80 by some means such as welding or the like. The handle 81 is attached to the nut 80 so as to extend above the hand drill 70 for easy rotation thereof about the standard 20 without interference between the handle 81 and the hand drill 70. As the handle 81 and, thus, the nut 80 are rotated the nut 80 is moved longitudinally down the standard 20, thereby, urging the sleeve 50 toward the base 10. As the sleeve 50 is urged toward the base 10 a force is applied to the hand drill 70 causing a bit therein to bite into the work surface 41. Once the desired hole is formed in the work surface 41 the handle 81 is rotated in the opposite direction and the hand drill 70 is manually returned to it uppermost position, thereby, removing the bit from the hole in the work surface 41.

Thus, a new and improved portable drill press apparatus is disclosed which is convenient to operate and inexpensive to manufacture. Further, the drill press apparatus is constructed so that it can be mounted quickly, by means of magnetic feet, to an irregular work surface. Also a hand drill mounted in the drill press apparatus can be moved relative to the feet so that holes can be drilled in otherwise inaccessible positions. In addition to the above advantages a plurality of sizes of hand drills and the like can be quickly and easily mounted in the disclosed drill press apparatus.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of this invention, further modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art. I desire it to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular form shown and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Portable drill press apparatus for mounting hand drills and the like comprising:

(a) a plurality of magnetic feet each having a generally flat contacting surface;

(b) base means having an elongated standard attached thereto, said standard having at least a partially threaded portion thereon:

(c) means attaching said magnetic feet to said base means in a spaced apart relationship with said contacting surfaces lying substantially in a plane, said attaching means further attaching said magnetic feet so that the longitudinal axis of said standard extends generally perpendicular to said plane, and said attaching means being further characterized by allow ing slight relative movement between said base means and said magnetic feet for allowing said contacting surfaces to move out of said plane to compensate for irregularities in a working surface;

(d) resilient washers engaged between said base means and said attaching means for allowing relative angular movements therebetween;

(e) sleeve means slidably engaged on said standard for relative longitudinal movements therebetween;

(f) clamping means adjustably attached to said sleeve means, said clamping means mounting said hand drill with a bit therein directed generally toward said plane; and

(g) pressure means threadedly engaged on said standard for applying a force urging said sleeve means and said clamping means toward said plane.

2. Portable drill press apparatus for mounting hand drills and the like comprising:

(a) a plurality of magnetic feet each having a generally flat contacting surface;

(b) base means having an elongated standard attached thereto, said standard having at least a partially threaded portion thereon;

() means attaching said magnetic feet to said base means in a spaced apart relationship with said contacting surfaces lying substantially in a plane, said attaching means further attaching said magnetic feet so that the longitudinal axis of said standard extends generally perpendicular to said plane, and said attaching means being further characterized by allowing slight relative movement between said base means and said magnetic feet for allowing said contacting surfaces to move out of said plane to compensate for irregularities in a working surface;

(d) sleeve means slidably engaged on said standard for relative longitudinal movements therebetween;

(e) clamping means adjustably attached to said sleeve means and including strap means for at least partially encircling a hand drill and adjustable in length for receiving various sizes of hand drills therein, said clamping means mounting said hand drill with a bit therein directed generally toward said plane; and

(f) pressure means threadedly engaged on said standard for applying a force urging said sleeve means and said clamping means toward said plane.

3. Portable drill press apparatus for mounting hand drills and the like comprising:

(a) a plurality of magnetic feet each having a gen erally flat contacting surface;

(b) base means;

(c) means attaching said magnetic feet to said base means in a spaced apart relationship with said contacting surfaces lying generally in a plane, said attaching means including mating concave and convex spherical surfaces situated between each of said magnetic feet and said base means and movably engaged together for limited substantially universal movements; and

(d) mounting means attached to said base means for receiving and operatively mounting a hand drill thereon.

4. Portable drill press apparatus for mounting hand drills and the like as set forth in claim 8 wherein the attaching means includes a washer having a convex spherical upper surface positioned between each of said magnetic feet and said base means, concave spherical lower surfaces in said base means mating with the convex spherical surfaces of said washers, and bolts extending through enlarged openings centrally located in each of said concave spherical lower surfaces, through central openings in said washers and threadedly engaged into said magnetic feet for allowing relative sliding movements between said concave and convex spherical surfaces.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 676,043 6/1901 Lincoln 77-7 FRANCIS S. HUSAR, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 7759 

